


Possessed

by yayitscait



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Panic Attacks, Possession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2018-12-13 15:53:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11763264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayitscait/pseuds/yayitscait
Summary: The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough are enjoying a relaxing day in London, 1984. An unexpected visitor from Tegan's past shows up, this time hoping to gain something from The Doctor.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N okay so hi, this is my first story that i'm publishing. i know it's not too good so if anyone actually reads this, go easy on me. if anyone actually wants me to continue this let me know and i'll update. also this is my take on the mara so yes it's different from the show version.

‘Doctor, are you okay?’ 

The Fifth incarnation of the time lord looked up from his plate to see the concerned faces of his companions Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough.

‘Yeah, fine Tegan. Why do you ask?’ 

‘Well, you just haven’t seemed yourself today.’ Said Turlough.

‘And you're not eating.’ Said Tegan.

The Doctor looked down at his plate full of food, not even having noticed that he hadn’t been eating. 

‘I-I..don’t feel too good. I think I’m going to be sick.’ The Doctor yelled, as he stood up from the table and ran down the hall towards the bathroom. 

 

‘What do you think’s the matter with him?’ Asked Tegan, as she stood and began cleaning up the table. 

‘Not sure; could be side effects from meeting his past selves maybe? You saw how he was before the first one even showed up.’ Said Turlough, as he remembered how the Doctor had been only a few hours prior when they had been visiting the Eye of Orion. Turlough had almost lost count of the amount of times he had fainted.

‘Yeah, well whatever it is, I hope he tells us.’ Said Tegan, although as she back to the kitchen to wash the dishes, she doubted she would be correct.

 

_ ‘Doctor..we meet again.’ _

The Doctor felt the dread and panic setting in, clouding his brain and blocking all logical thoughts. He thought he had gotten rid of The Mara..although he supposed that was too hopeful thinking. The Mara is never really gone, it’s the dark thoughts inside all of us. 

‘What do you want?’

_ ‘Power. Possessing you was the only time I have felt that much superiority and power. I need to feel that again.’  _

‘Leave me alone.’

_ ‘Well have it your way if you want then. I can just go visit my good ‘ol friend Tegan. We’ve become pretty close over the past couple of months.’  _

‘No, you leave Tegan and Turlough alone.’

_ ‘Listen, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll leave your friends alone, permanently, if you just do one thing for me…’ _

 

‘Doctor! Are you alright?’ Asked a concerned Turlough.

‘Fine Turlough! Now, where has the Tardis landed us this time.’ 

‘Doctor, you just ran out of the room because you needed to vomit.’

Not even looking up from where he was standing at the console, The Doctor brushed off their concern.

‘It’s probably just the flu or something like that, nothing to be concerned about. Now, sorry to disappoint you Turlough, but we have landed on Earth, 1984, London.’ 

 

Tegan rolled her eyes in a mixture of annoyance and concern. He almost never told them if something was wrong with him, unless it would involve a planet exploding or something like that. From what Tegan could remember he had never gotten sick since she had been on board. Maybe it was nothing, maybe she was overthinking but she was definitely concerned.

 

_ Earth, 1984, London. _

Tegan licked her chocolate ice cream, sighing in content as her worries were forgotten for the time being. Turns out they had landed on a beach, which was good in Tegan’s opinion (saving the world is very tiring). Meanwhile, Turlough was busy sketching the lovely view from their spot on a bench, overlooking the sea. The Doctor was catching up on some reading, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. The comfortable silence was interrupted by Tegan. 

‘So, how long are we gonna stay here?’ 

‘You can’t be ready to leave already!’ Turlough exclaimed, ‘Doctor, can’t we stay for at least a few more hours?’

‘I didn’t say I wanted to leave! I was just asking.’ Shot back Tegan.

‘Calm down you two, we can probably spend a few days here if you both would like that.’ Tegan and Turlough quickly agreed, as much fun as saving the universe was, it would be nice to just relax for a few days.

‘Good, because I have some things I need to get done.’ Muttered The Doctor.

‘Like what?’ 

‘Oh nothing exciting Tegan, just catching up with some old friends.’

 

After spending another hour relaxing on the beach, Tegan and Turlough left the Doctor to go explore. 

‘Are you sure you're alright? It’s really unlike you to not want to explore!’ 

‘There might be some aliens invading! Wouldn’t want to miss that would you?’

But The Doctor insisted that he was fine, he had some important people to visit, and they would just be standing around bored out of their minds. So they had left to explore, with the time of 9:30 being their curfew.  

 

_ They’re so stupid.  _

_ They leave you all the time, can’t you see that?  _

_ Yes, I know you told them to leave, but if they were your real friends wouldn’t they stay?  _

_ You should go. _

_ You have the opportunity to leave, why aren’t you?  _

_ Your so stupid.  _

The Doctor cursed, as The Mara sent insult after insult through his mind. He knew it was a useless battle, as he had agreed to the deal. But that wouldn’t stop him from trying to escape. He was running as fast as he could, to nowhere in particular, desperate to escape the demon-like creature inside his mind. He was losing, The Mara was going to take over, he had to stop it-

 

_ ‘Thankyou Doctor. I’ll take the wheel for a little while I think.’  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor encounters a young man, who has something he wants. Meanwhile, Tegan and Turlough explore London, before finding out what The Doctor has been hiding...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah i updated  
> thanks to everyone who's been reading, really appreciate it.  
> i'll try to update again soon.

Tegan and Turlough wandered through the crowded streets of London, Tegan excitedly looking around, there was so much to do, so much to see. Turlough honestly was just wanting to get back to The Doctor, however he had a feeling it would be a little while before he’d be able to get his way. Turlough could feel Tegan tapping him excitedly trying to get his attention.   
‘What?’ Tegan was pointing to the door of a building, the numbers 221B plastered on it.  
‘It’s a nice looking flat!’   
‘Can’t we get back to The Doctor? I’m worried about him.’  
‘Oh you're always worried about him, he said he was fine.’   
‘Tegan, when has he ever been ‘fine’?’  
‘Look, just 10 more minutes, I promise. Hey, look! A snake charmer!’  
Tegan ran off in the direction of the snake charmer. Turlough followed, however he had a feeling he’d be here for longer than 10 minutes.

30 minutes later  
‘That was a complete waste of time.’  
Turlough said, as he and Tegan were walking back to the Tardis.  
‘Oh come on Turlough! I thought it was cool, the way the snake seemed captivated by the music.’  
‘Probably some sort of trick to it.’  
‘Oh lighten up Turlough.’  
They walked in silence for a bit, taking in their surroundings. Turlough wished he had brought his sketchpad, for the scenery was truly a sight to behold. Nearing the Tardis, they could see the dark blue waves gently crashing against the soft sand, the stars overhead lighting up the night sky. Turlough felt more calm than he had in awhile, and like nothing bad could happen.   
Well, that didn’t last long.   
‘Turlough, quick-get here.’  
Turlough didn’t have time to ask what was going on, as next thing he knew he was being shoved behind a bush.  
‘Tegan, wha-’  
‘Shut up-look!’  
From their spot behind a bush, Tegan and Turlough could see The Doctor sprinting towards the streets of London, the place they had just come from.   
‘What on earth is he doing?’ Exclaimed Turlough, ‘Hey, wait up!’ He yelled, running after Tegan. 

‘How do you manage to run so fast with heels that big!’ Turlough said, as he doubled over panting from their spot behind Bill’s Baker Street Restaurant.   
Tegan ignored him, instead looking around anxiously, hoping to catch a glimpse as to where The Doctor might have gone.   
‘Look!’ She whispered, dragging Turlough over to her.  
They watched as The Doctor approached a young man wearing a leather jacket and white pants. He looked familiar to both of the young companions, neither could seem to place where from though. They watched in silence, too far away to be able to hear anything.  
‘Wait a second-isn’t that the snake charmer?’  
‘It is! Wonder how The Doctor knows him?’  
‘Just be quiet Turlough.’

‘I said, give me the money!’ The Doctor said, fuming, pushing the young man backwards into a corner, trapping him there.   
The poor young man nervously looked into the eyes of The Doctor, who was glaring down menacingly at him, and decided he didn’t want to die today. He quickly shoved his hand into the pocket of his jacket, not sure whether he was hoping to find some spare change in it or not. Panic set in as the only thing he pulled was a coupon for the local pizza place. He quickly checked the other pocket, this time the only thing he found was a golden snake brooch, which he had gotten for his 18th birthday.  
‘I d-d-don’t have any m-money.’ He said, his eyes darting all over the place, never quite meeting The Doctors.   
‘Well, well, well. You're going to have to give me something else then won’t you?’ The Doctor thought for a moment.   
‘Give me the snake brooch.’ 

The terrified young man quickly fished into his pockets for it, his hand trembling as he gave it to The Doctor.   
The Doctor smiled to himself as he admired its beauty for a moment. The brooch rested safely in his palm, the golden serpent coiled realistically. He had a feeling this would be very important indeed. His mind returned to the matter at hand though as he heard the man begging him to let him go.  
‘I am sorry if I ever did anything to you,please, please let me go-’   
‘Shut. Up.’  
The Doctor hadn’t been planning to let the man go, but as he heard the sound of voices, he let him leave with a final warning.  
‘If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about this, I will kill you. Do you understand.’ He hissed in his ear.

The man quickly nodded his head, and as soon as The Doctor backed off, he was running, as far away as he could possibly get from that man. As he ran, he calmed himself with the thought it was pretty unlikely he’d ever see him again, he was only visiting London for a week, he had already been there for 3 days, in 4 days the odds of seeing this man again would be close to impossible. He reached his home, comforted by the sight of it. He was still pretty shaken, so he decided he’d calm himself down by having a bowl of cornflakes, and watching some tv. After about 20 minutes, he drifted off into a restless sleep. He had a dream that he was flying, and he was enjoying that dream. But it was interrupted, by an image which still sent a shiver down his spine when he thought about it to this day. It was the snake brooch, at the end of a very long corridor. In his dream he approached it, and when he finally reached the end of the corridor, the snakes eyes glowed a bright blue. It slowly uncoiled itself, and slithered close to him. Then it jumped right at him.

He had woken with a start, panting and sweating.  
It had been a dream, but yet it felt like it truly had happened.  
He had spent the next day going about his daily business, yet the whole time in the back of his mind there was still that image of the snake jumping at him.  
And he told himself he was still just a bit shaken after yesterday’s events, it was just a nightmare, nothing to worry about.  
Yet after thinking about that dream for the whole day, he wasn’t so sure it was a dream anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turlough tries to confront The Doctor.

‘Look, I know you're concerned about him, and so am I, but there really isn’t much we can do right now. I agree there’s something wrong with him but we can’t confr-’  
Tegan’s sentence was cut off quickly as she noticed The Doctor entering the console room, flicking various switches and buttons urgently, not even noticing Tegan and Turlough were in the same room. He suddenly stopped.  
‘What are you two doing here?’   
‘Neither of us could sleep.’  
The Doctor hesitated for a second, and Tegan was sure he was going to question them..but he just nodded, and continued whatever he seemed to be doing.  
‘So..uh Doctor, what have you been up to?’  
‘Nothing too interesting, Tegan. You should both try to get some sleep.’   
The way The Doctor was looking at them showed there was no arguing with him, so Turlough and Tegan reluctantly left the room.   
‘Do you think we should tell him what we saw?’  
‘No! Well, atleast not right now, we need more information...look!  
Turlough turned around to see Tegan was pointing at The Doctor. From what Turlough could see from behind the wall where they were standing, The Doctor was inspecting a brooch in the shape of a snake. Suddenly the room was filled with a bright flash of blue, which forced Tegan and Turlough to cover their eyes due to it being so bright. 

‘What are you two doing?’  
Tegan uncovered her eyes, to find The Doctor standing right in front of her and Turlough. The brooch was clasped to the front of his coat, and a shiver coursed down her spine as she stared into the eyes of the realistic serpent.  
‘Well Tegan? What do you have to say about the subject?’  
‘Huh?’  
‘I asked what you both are doing.’  
Tegan exchanged a look with Turlough, who seemed to be trying his best to not look guilty, yet failing. Tegan debated with herself for a couple of seconds about whether it would be best to just tell the truth..until she realised Turlough was already telling half of it.

‘Well I personally was just going to get a glass of milk before bed, and then I bumped into Tegan.’   
‘And then?’  
‘Well there was a big flash of blue, and then you were here.’  
‘Tegan, what were you doing?’  
‘I was just going to the bathroom.’  
‘You each have your own private ones, why would you need to go to the public one?’  
Tegan hesitated a couple of seconds, her brain going into overdrive trying to think of a reason.  
‘I was out of toilet paper.’  
She ignored Turloughs snicker, and concentrated on looking innocent. The Doctor studied her for a few seconds, then seemed to decide that was a good enough explanation, and turned to go back into the console room.  
‘Hey Doctor...what were you doing?’

Tegan held her breath as she fighted the urge to hit Turlough. What was he playing at? If there was such thing as life after death, well let’s just say Tegan had decided Turlough would not have a peaceful one.   
The Doctor turned around, Tegan not missing the way he clenched his fists, seemingly trying to fight against his own body's urge to hit something.  
‘It’s none of your business, Turlough.’  
Tegan watched as The Doctor managed a tight lipped smile, before Turlough did the stupidest thing he could have done in that moment.   
‘Me and Tegan saw you.’

It seemed to go in slow motion for Tegan, and when she talked about that moment later, she would describe it as watching a horror movie, and knowing someone was about to die, yet not being able to do anything about it. 

Tegan had watched in horror as The Doctor’s fist had connected with Turloughs jaw. The Doctor’s face had seemed to go through a series of emotions after it, first he looked powerless, like he was just along for the ride, and couldn’t do anything to stop it. Then it was guilt, and embarrassment, then frightened, and then shock mixed with anger. 

Tegan had watched as The Doctor had backed away in shock, before running out of the room, and leaving Tegan and Turlough staring after him in dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, long time no post.  
> sorry it's been so long, i've been really busy, and honestly am not entirely sure about where this story is going, or if i'll even finish it.   
> i know this is a short chapter, but i just really wanted to get something out.   
> let me know your thoughts on the chapter in the comments.  
> thanks for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tegan and Turlough seek help, in a familiar face.

‘What the fuck just happened.’  
‘I have no idea. But we have to do something.’  
‘I don’t think trying to confront him again is a good idea.’  
‘Obviously not...we need some help.’ 

Later  
‘IM CALLING THE COPS!’  
That was the last thing Tegan and Turlough heard from the man who had been running after them with a baseball bat for the last 5 minutes. For good reason, mind you. They had come to the conclusion they needed to find the snake charmer, he had had first hand experience with the Doctor in his current state, and should be able to help them. Of course, that led them to their next problem, which was trying to find him. So, Turlough had suggested that they break into people’s houses, and hope they eventually stumble upon the guy. Tegan hadn’t wanted to agree to this plan obviously, but what other choice did she have?

‘For god’s sakes Turlough, there has to be a better way to go about this.’  
‘Well, do you have a better idea?’  
Tegan sighed in exasperation, a silent way of saying, no, she didn’t.   
This had been the third person who had come after them with some sort of threat, and they had only been doing this for an hour.   
‘You planning to just stand there all day? Hurry up!’  
Turlough called over his shoulder, already heading towards the next house. Tegan hurried after him, after all, what choice did she have?

19 houses later:  
‘Hi, please don’t call the cops on us. I’m Tegan, this is Turlough, and we-’  
‘Oh my god it’s him Tegan.’  
‘What? Turlough don’t interrupt me when I’m talki-’  
‘TEGAN IT’S HIM, IT’S THE GUY.’  
‘Turlough your making a scene! Just please-oh my god it is him. Okay sir, none of this is gonna make any sense, but we really need your help. Would we be able to come inside?’  
The man just stared at them. Was he gonna call the police on them? Tegan didn’t know what they were gonna do if he turned them away, and any other ideas Turlough had probably weren’t going to be great. 

‘Come in.’  
Tegan didn’t think she had ever felt more relieved than when that man uttered those two words. 

‘Seriously thank you so much for taking the time to listen to us, we-’  
‘Look, just get on with it. I don’t have time for pointless ranting.’  
‘Excuse me? Look, we don’t have to-’  
‘Tegan! Sorry about that. We just really need your help, we have a friend who seemed to have had a run in with you the other night. Roughly 5ft, blonde hair, cricket outfit-’  
‘Oh no, no get out. Your associated with him aren’t you? I’m calling the cops.’ Said the man, standing up from the couch.  
‘Not again.’ Mumbled Tegan.  
‘Wait, please! That honestly wasn’t him, well I mean it was but-’  
‘I’ve heard enough. I’m calling the cops.’ He said, picking up the phone to emphasize his point.  
‘Sir, we promise, we’re not here to hurt you. If you could just give us 5 minutes of your time so we can explain what we’re doing here.’   
The man stared at them for several moments, before apprehensively setting the phone back down. Turlough didn’t miss the way his hand still hovered over it in unease. 

‘Thank you. That man you ran into the other day wasn’t The Doctor. Well I mean it was, but it wasn’t. See, there’s this sort of creature-’  
‘What Tegan is trying to say is, he’s possessed.’  
‘By this creature called the Mara. I was possessed by it once, and his behaviour seems very similar to how I acted when I was possessed by it. We were wondering if you could help us, since your a snake charmer?’ 

‘Are you on drugs?’ Said the man, the fear in his voice evident.  
‘We promise we aren’t, look, can you please just help us?’

‘Ugh, fine. What do I have to lose anyways.’   
‘Oh my god thank you. So, how do we help him?’

‘Come with me.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AGAIN
> 
> I AM BACK! 
> 
> jeez i thought i'd never get this chapter done, i am so sorry. i had a bit of a block with which direction the story should go, but here i am. really wanted to get this chapter out like a month ago but ya know.
> 
> thanks for your patience, can't say when the next chapter will get out but hopefully sooner than this one. 
> 
> seeya next time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tegan and Turlough get a call, and prepare to stop the Doctor.

‘This is pointless.’ Sighed Turlough dramatically, slamming the book he had been reading down on the table.  
‘Turlough, it’s only been a few hours. Besides, do you want to help The Doctor or not?’ Tegan replied, not even bothering to look up from her book.  
‘Obviously I do. It’s just I’ve read 14 books in the past 5 hours, and I have found nothing. I think we need a different approach.’  
‘I’m sure I’m getting close, Turlough, just another hour-’  
‘You guys might want to come and take a look at this.’ Yelled the man, (who they had found out was named Aaron) from the living room. Tegan and Turlough exchanged a glance, before rushing to the living room. 

‘For an unknown reason, London has been a victim of street violence as of late. Many well known landmarks and locations around London have been vandalized in some form, graffiti being quite common. Violence has gone up by 30% in the last few days, although authorities have no idea as to why this may be. Witnesses have reported seeing a man with blonde hair and a cricket outfit at a number of these locations. If you see this man, please contact authorities. And now, back to the weather.’

Aaron shut off the news before turning to face them.  
‘So, any idea who that may be?’ Aaron said, sarcastically (he still wasn’t particularly happy to have them there).  
‘How the fuck did he even-’  
‘Come on. We have work to do.’ Said Tegan, dragging Turlough away as he raised his hands in defeat. 

Meanwhile  
‘See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Next time you may find it easier to just hand over your fucking wallet. Now, get the fuck away before I hurt you more than I already have.’ The Doctor said, shoving the man away from him. The man eyed him warily, before running away as fast as he could, looking back multiple times to see if The Doctor was following.  
‘Idiot.’ The Doctor mumbled to himself, looking around to try see if he could find anymore easy targets. They all looked old, or were with children. He wasn’t a complete monster, so he decided he’d leave them be. The Doctor wandered a little, and smiled as an idea popped into his head upon the sight of a public telephone box.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
‘I think I found something, in this book it says we could try burning it out of him. It was very popular in medieval times, and is still used on a lot of alien planet with circumstances such as this. Of course, it wouldn’t be very pleasant but-’  
‘Tegan, I am not burning the Doctor.’  
‘But-’  
‘End of discussion’.

A tense silence lasted for several minutes, before the sound of a phone ringing interrupted it.  
‘Oh shoot!’ Tegan hurriedly reached into the bag she had retrieved from the tardis. Turlough stared, watching as she pulled out a bulky, white object with a bunch of buttons on it, numbers and symbols painted onto each one.  
‘What on earth is that?’  
‘It’s a cellphone. The Doctor took me to buy one when they first got released to the public.’  
‘What does it do, exactly?’  
‘It allows you to talk to people, without having to be face to face. It’s pretty cool. Now be quiet.’ She pressed one of the buttons, and started speaking.

‘Hello?’  
The sound of a young woman's voice came through the crackly speaker.  
‘Ah yes, Tegan.’ The Doctor smirked to himself, this should be interesting.  
‘Doctor? Is that you?’  
‘Yes Tegan, it’s me.’ The Doctor rolled his eyes. His companions could be so stupid at times, of course it was him, who else would be calling her?  
‘What do you need?’ The Doctor noted the apprehension, the nervousness and fear in Tegans voice making The Doctor feel more powerful.  
‘I need a favour. Is there a young man with you, think his name was something similar to, Aaron?’  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Tegan nearly dropped the phone, choosing instead to cover the speaker with her hand.  
‘What’d he say?’ Asked Turlough.  
‘He’s asking if Aaron is with us.’  
‘How does he know his name?’ Asked Turlough, panic evident in his voice.  
‘Don’t know Turlough.’  
‘Where is he?’  
‘Don't know Turlough.’  
‘Is he still possessed?’  
‘Obviously Turlough. Look, I’m gonna go see if Aarons here, you keep him talking.’ Tegan passed the phone to Turlough, before running off to see if Aaron was still in the house.

‘Turlough, is that you?’ A smug voice could be heard from the phone.  
‘Hello, Doctor.’  
‘So, can you tell your boyfriend if Aaron is with you?’  
Turlough turned beet red at that, very glad that that Tegan wasn’t in the room. He decided to try stall for time by changing the subject.  
‘Where are you?’  
‘That’s not something you need to be concerned about right now, Turlough. Where did Tegan go?’  
‘She had to go to the bathroom.’  
‘Humans tend to have a habit of doing that. Is Aaron with you?’  
‘Why are you doing this?’  
‘Doing what?’  
‘This, this thing. What do you want with the Doctor?’  
‘Turlough, I really thought you were smarter than this. I am still the Doctor, just with my well, darker thoughts enhanced I suppose. Isn’t that splendid?’  
Before Turlough had the chance to reply, Tegan returned with Aaron, who was muttering to himself and looking quite annoyed.  
‘Can’t a man get a break around here, everything is so-’  
He was interrupted by Turlough thrusting the phone at him.

‘Hello?’  
‘Ah yes, Aaron. Took a while to get ahold of you, didn’t it?’  
Aaron paled considerably when he realised who it was. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, seemingly debating whether or not to leave. To Tegan and Turloughs relief, he decided to be brave, bringing the phone back up to his ear.  
‘What do you want?’ He said sharply.  
‘My, my, calm down there old friend! I just wanted to meet up.’  
‘What for?’ Aaron asked suspiciously.  
‘I have something I want to show you.’  
‘What is it?’  
‘Aren’t you a fan of surprises?’  
‘Not particularly.’  
‘Meet me at the alleyway outside the pizza shop, tonight at 12am. You know the one.’  
And with that The Doctor hung up.

‘So what’s happening?’  
‘He wants to meet up in the alleyway outside the pizza shop at 12am.’  
‘Tonight?’  
‘Yup.’  
Turlough sighed, running a hand through his hair, an old habit of his which he used to do a lot when he was stressed. He looked up at Tegan, noticing her puzzled expression, which she normally got when she had an idea.  
‘What are you thinking about?’  
‘This could be our chance to capture the Doctor! I mean we may not exactly have a solution to the problem yet, but-’  
‘Hold on. I think I may have found our solution here.’  
Tegan and Turlough exchanged a hopeful glance, before rushing to Aarons side quickly.  
‘Look here, it says that The Mara hates the sight of its own reflection.’ Aaron said excitedly, pointing to a slightly ripped page in the book.  
‘That’s all well and good, but I only have one mirror, and it’s back in the Tardis. And I’m pretty sure the Mara could easily dodge that.  
‘I should have plenty out the back.’  
‘Why?’  
‘A man has to make a living, and while being a snake charmer part time is a good way to do so, so is selling furniture.’  
They followed Aaron out back, and for the first time in the past week, the companions felt this could end okay. 

12am.  
‘Ready to do this?’ Asked Tegan, looking nervously at Turlough.  
They were standing outside the alleyway, which they had gone to earlier to plan ahead what they were going to do.  
‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’ Responded Turlough, sounding equally as nervous, initiating their secret handshake. They had become a lot closer because of everything that had happened, and now Turlough would consider Tegan a friend. Not that he’d ever tell her that, of course.  
‘Let’s go.’ Said Aaron, walking into the alleyway, Tegan and Turlough following a step behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooooooooooh boy finally got this done  
> i literally had this chapter started since the day chapter 4 came out, yet i ended up binge writing it all last night and this afternoon. writing is weird.  
> anyways, hope you all enjoy. i have a bit more of a plan now, and there should be another three chapters left. possibly may do an aftermath/sequal to this fic once it's done, however it probably wouldn't follow immediately. im rambling now.  
> comments would be appreciated! tell me your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tegan, Turlough and Aaron face off against The Doctor. Will they succeed?

‘Well, well, well. Look who we have here.’ The Doctor was leaning against the brick wall, looking at them with a sly grin.  
‘Doctor.’ Tegan muttered, refusing to look him directly in the eyes. She didn’t want to be fooled, didn’t want to have to see The Doctor as someone he’s not.  
‘Scared to look at me, Tegan? I thought we had something. Don’t worry Turlough, I haven’t forgotten about you.’ The Doctor took a few steps closer to Turlough, who in turn took a few steps back. 

‘You know, I can hear him screaming.’ As The Doctor said this, he took the opportunity to take a few steps closer to the now-frozen Turlough. ‘Crying. Begging. Pleading. Trying anything to get free. However, the interesting thing is as soon as I threaten to hurt even a hair on either of your heads, he shuts up. Interesting, isn’t it? You know, he loved you a lot Turlough...pity how he never got to kiss you one last time, did he?’  
‘Let him go, you fucking monster!’ Turlough shouted, finally snapping. He raised his fist, prepared to throw a punch, before stopping. He’d be hurting The Doctor. His lover. His best friend. He lowered his fist in defeat, choosing to give him a death glare instead.  
The Doctor gave him a pitying look, before turning his back to him, and taking a few steps the other way.  
‘You could never actually do it.’ He paused, seeing if Turlough would comment. When he didn’t, he continued.  
‘It’s quite sad. You really do love him, huh?’  
‘Obviously, yes.’ 

Whilst The Doctor was busy with Turlough, Aaron had sneaked off back to the car, adrenaline coursing through him. His breath came in quickly, as he feared The Doctor would notice his absence. Opening the boot of the car, he grabbed the mirrors, and shut it behind him as quietly as he could. Running as fast as he was able to, he set off the short distance towards his entrance. When they had been here earlier in the day, they had discovered two other entrances, a bit out of view from the public eye. The first one was the entrance he was headed to, and it was roughly halfway up from where The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough where currently standing. The second one was much further up, and close to a supermarket. Slowing down, he ducked into the entrance, feeling the cold brick against his back as he pressed against it. He could hear yelling, and could only hope everything was alright. Taking a second to calm himself, he thought about how much his life had been flipped upside down over the past week. He had only come to London to check on his mother's house, and had hoped to earn some money while doing so, but instead he was going to try to stop a guy who was possessed by some type of creature with two lunatics who had essentially broken into his house. Not his ideal week, to say the least. 

A shout brought him out of his thoughts, and he gathered up his courage to peak out of the entrance. Turlough was being held back by Tegan, whilst The Doctor seemed to be laughing. The Doctor wasn’t facing him, this was his chance! He took a deep breath, and began walking towards The Doctor, holding the mirrors close to his chest.

Lucky for him, Tegan and Turlough already knew that they were supposed to be keeping The Doctor distracted, so Turlough continued to struggle in Tegans grip, and shout profanity at him, and The Doctor throwed his head back and laughed, almost as if he knew he wasn’t supposed to be looking. Aaron found he reached The Doctor sooner than he would have liked, and turned one of the mirrors around, so it was facing The Doctor. Now he had another issue, how to get the mirrors to Tegan and Turlough? 

That wasn’t an issue for long however, as Aaron soon found The Doctor facing him.  
‘Why hello Aa-’  
Aaron held up the mirror so The Doctor could see his reflection staring back at him, and Aaron watched as he quickly shied away from it. He felt himself breath a sigh of relief as he found his prediction was correct. When they had been researching, he had remembered that some very peculiar types of snakes didn’t like their reflections. He had hoped this would be the same with The Mara, and he was glad to see his prediction was correct. With his other hand, Aaron had chucked the other two mirrors towards Tegan, and he inwardly winced as he heard the sound of them clattering to the ground. 

Tegan knelt down, and quickly picked them up, passing one to Turlough. The Doctor spun around, lunging towards Tegan, seemingly going to grab her.  
‘Oh no you don’t!’ She yelled, holding up the mirror. The Doctor seemed to be getting what was happening now, and Tegan could have sworn, that for a split second, she saw The Doctor in those dark, brown eyes. 

The Doctor didn’t have to turn to Turlough to gather he was most likely holding up a mirror, so he turned to try and leave the mini circle. However Tegan and Aaron were closing in on him on that side, and as soon as the Doctor began to turn Turlough’s way, he was closing in on him too. The Doctor tried to push back on them, throwing his body around, anything to try break free. Turlough did have to admit, it was quite a struggle to keep him contained, and he found himself slipping back several times. Then The Doctor started screaming.

It was a loud, agonising scream. It cut through the otherwise quiet and serene night, and Aaron feared that someone would come to investigate. It wasn’t just one scream however. The Doctors face contorted in pain, as he continued to let out loud, shrieks of pain that made Turlough feel like he was being hurt too. Sobs coated his painful shouts of agony, as he dropped to the ground. He twisted around, hopelessly trying to find some sort of position of comfort.  
‘Turlough, Turlough, help me, please Turl-’ The Doctor cut himself off with more screams, and Turlough had to use every last bit of willpower he had to stop himself from dropping the mirror, and rushing to comfort The Doctor. Looking at Tegan, he noticed how she also wore an identical look of pain he had a feeling he was currently sporting, and tried to give her a comforting look, although he had a feeling it wasn’t doing too much.

If Turlough could go back in time, and stop that day in London, 1984 from ever happening, he would. Because what was about to ensue would be the most painful day of both his and Tegan's lives. 

Gradually, the screaming had died down. It had gone on for a while, and had slowly gone from loud, pain filled screams, to small whimpers. And now there was silence. Turlough didn’t know what to think of that. He had never liked silence, as his mind would always drift to his days on Trion, and those hadn’t been fun, to say the least. He knew he was wasting time, but he really didn’t want to have to see what was waiting for him on the other side of the mirror.

‘Do you think we can put these down yet?’ Asked Tegan, as she heard a loud gasp from Aaron, and a clattering of a mirror.  
‘What? What is it?’ Tegan asked, as she and Turlough both put down their mirrors. 

It was a ghastly sight.  
The Doctor was lying on the ground, his skin pale, eyes seeming to tell them that he knew what was going to happen. Turlough rushed to his side immediately, positioning himself so The Doctors head was resting on his knee. Tegan knelt down so that she was next to Turlough, and Aaron hovered above them awkwardly, as he didn’t know The Doctor for who he was really, and didn’t want to intrude.  
‘I’m sorry.’ The Doctor said immediately, and Tegan wanted to roll her eyes. He seemed to be very hurt, he may not survive, and his focus was on apologising to them.  
‘What for?’ Turlough asked, confused.  
‘Turlough I slapped you a few days ago, and I just really wanted to apologise, I wasn’t in control and I would have never-’  
‘Doctor, it’s fine. I know it wasn’t you, and I forgive you anyway.’ Relief washed over The Doctors face, however a second later it was replaced with pain. 

‘Listen, you two..I don’t have much longer to live. And I accept that. But, would you both please look after the Tardis for me? I’m sure she’ll be in safe hands with the both of you.’  
‘Can’t you regenerate?’ Turlough asked.  
‘No, I hate to say it, but the overwhelming pain has seemed to have cancelled out my future regenerations.’  
Tegan and Turlough sat in silence for a few moments, not wanting to accept the fact that The Doctor may (well, would most likely) die. Tegan was the first to speak, and seemed to have accepted it as a fact.

‘Of course, Doctor.’ She said, her voice laced with sadness.  
Turlough, on the other hand, had not.  
‘Doctor, you’re not going to die.’  
‘Turlough, pleas-’  
‘No, your not going to die, I mean your the Doctor, for fucks sake-’  
‘Turlough.’ Tegan gave him a look. She clearly was exhausted, overwhelmed, sad and angry, but had come to accept it. She needed him to accept it, and be there for The Doctor in what might be his last few moments on this Earth.  
The Doctor was old. Older than Tegan or Turlough would ever live to be, older than any other human on this planet would live to be. This regeneration had been a particularly hard one, everything involving Adric, and with Nyssa leaving not long after, he was done. The guilt had been resting on his shoulders for the entirety of this regeneration, and it was extremely exhausting for one mentally. 

‘I’m sorry it had to end like this.’  
And just like that it was all over.  
It was hard for Turlough to believe that for someone who always had something deep and meaningful to say in troubling situations, a phrase of seven words had been the one that had marked the end of this man's life.  
They had sat in silence for a moment. Not able to believe that just like that, their best friends life had been taken from them. The loud scream that erupted from Tegan pierced Turloughs eardrums, as he hugged the limp body tightly to his chest, hoping to try and preserve any sign of life.  
It was useless.  
Then he found himself in a similar state to Tegan, screaming and crying, and cursing whatever god had decided to bring this upon him.  
He doesn’t really remember much of what else happened that night.  
He does remember Aaron lifting the body from his hands at one point though. And him hugging Tegan. And Aaron dragging them back to the Tardis.  
And just like that, it was the end of an era. 

Epilogue (1 year later)  
Tegan and Turlough had returned to the Tardis, and fell asleep together, exhausted emotionally and physically. The next day, they had buried The Doctor on the Eye of Orion. Calm and relaxing, a place where he could permanently rest, and they could return to him at anytime easily. Things never really did return to normal.  
Turlough spends a lot of his time drawing, usually to distract him from sleep. He doesn’t get much of that nowadays, waking up in the middle of the night because you heard your lovers screams before their death isn't very comforting.  
The death has brought him and Tegan closer though. She’s pretty much the only person he talks to, likewise for her. Tegan spends most of her time tending for the Tardis, or chatting with Turlough.  
Anything to keep her busy.  
They spend most of their time in orbit nowadays, their days of adventure and running from aliens long behind them. Their main reasons for landing now are to stock up on food, or to visit The Doctor.  
One day they would land for the last time, and have to move on entirely from their life spent on the Tardis.

But for now, they were content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHE'S ALIVE!!  
> i am so sorry this final chapter took so long, believe me this wasn't planned. Couldn't figure out how to write a death scene but then managed to get it all done last night.  
> Writings weird.  
> Anyways, thanks so much for reading! This fics over a year old, jesus. Remind me never to write a chaptered fic again.  
> Thanks again! Feedback appreciated.


End file.
